Chapter 4: Turmoil
To the ended up with, I love you, you are fabulous. Please R&R. They are so much fun to respond too.
Vanille set about to making sandwiches for everyone. Hope grinned as he heard his little sister gripe to her about how she likes the way her mommy does it, that she makes them better than her. "Oh come on Kailee, it's peanut butter and jelly, there isn't a whole lot I can do to improve this." Vanille sighed, trying to hand Kailee the sandwich, only to get glared at.
"Uh uh." Kailee shook her head. "Mommy cuts off the crust and she makes them into cute circles. You didn't do that!" Kailee yelled, pushing the sandwich away again.
"Hope." Vanille whined. "Help me."
Hope couldn't help but think about how pitiful Vanille looked at that moment." I think we finally found someone who is more stubborn then you Vanille." He smirked as she pouted. "Kailee, mommy will make your next one ok. We can't cut that one up without a knife."
"She has a knife in her hand Hope." His sister pointed out, pointing at said butter knife Vanille had used. "She can do it."
"Not without a hard surface to cut it on." He said, looking at her from the rearview mirror. "It'll look to funny. Just eat it that way ok?"
"Fine." She pouted, crossing her arms. "But I won't like it." She said bluntly, taking the offered sandwich and taking a bite.
"Little things got some spice to her doesn't she?" Hope heard Fang ask from the back of the van. "Quite spirited."
Hope smiled at her in the mirror. "Don't know hwere she got it from either. Mom is quiet and peaceful and dad, well dad is just dad." He muttered at the end, turning his eyes back to the road as he listened to Fang and Vanille strike up their own conversation.
"Don't look so hopeless." He heard Lightning say to him, looking him up and down. "You're alive and so is your sister, be happy."
"I am, I was just thinking."
Lightning shrugged her shoulder turning her view back out the front window. "Thinking gets you nowhere, actions do."
Hope shook his head as he looked around. "Actions only get you so far until you have to think about where those actions can and will lead you." He replied. "I was just thinking about how normal the city looks." He said, motioning outside. "I haven't seen one of those creatures since we picked Fang up, everything looks so eerily peaceful and quiet. Like nothing is here." He explained. "I was expecting the sight that you see in movies. Everything on fire, people running and screaming, trying to hide from the bad guys. Havoc everywhere, everyone rebeling and fighting. It's almost like what happened just two hours ago didn't happen at all."
"Maybe whatever it is hasn't reached this far into the city." Fang interjected from the back. "Maybe it started on the outskirts of town and hasn't spread this far."
"Maybe." Lightning said, keeping an eye out. "Turn left up here."
"What?" Hope looked up at her. "That way doesn't lead to the ocean."
"Just do it. I want to see something." She said, looking out her window. "Make the left then the imediate right."
Hope complied, following her directions. She made a few more before her pulled up in front of an apartment complex. "Where are we?"
"My sisters." She said plainly. "Keep the engine running, if anything happens keep moving like I had you do when we picked Fang up." She said, getting out of the van. "Do not hesitate to kill something that isn't human anymore."
He nodded, watching as she turned and went up into the apartments, sword at the ready. He waited as patienty as he could for roughly about ten minutes before Lightning came running back out of the building, a young girl with pink hair following close behind her. "Looks like she found who she was looking for." Fang said, watching closely as they jumped in the van.
"Drive now." Lightning said, slamming the door shut. "Hurry before they wake up."
Hope did as he was told, driving away and making turns to get back on the main highway. "Before who wakes up?"
"Those things." The young girl that lightning picked up answered. "They were attacking everyone in my building. And then, almost instantly, just stopped. Just stood there. Not moving." She explained.
"And you are?" Fang inquired.
"Oh sorry. I'm Serah. Claires sister."
"Who's Claire?" Vanille asked, looking around. "We don't have a Claire."
"I'm Claire." Lightning put in, looking irritated. "And no, do not call me that. My name is Lightning."
Everyone just stared for a minute before Hope turned his attention back to Serah. "You said they just stopped?"
"Yeah. " She said, looking at him. "It was really weird. Well, this whole day is weird, but still. Everyone they attacked turned into one of them. Almost instantly. Then they would go after anyone unaffected. I ran to my apartment as fast as I could dodging everyone that I could. And as one was about to attack me, he had me shoved on the floor and was going to bite me. Litterally bite me." She yelled, flailing her arms about. "He just stopped." She put her arms down. "He just stood up and stayed there, unmoving. Eyes shut."
Hope sat there quietly, thinking about what he'd just been told. "Almost like they went to sleep?"
"Yeah." She said, scooting to the edge of her seat. "Or well, like putting a computer into sleep mode. It was instant."
"How long ago was that?" lightning asked, turning to look at her sister. "Can you give me a rough time frame.
"Um, about an hour or so I guess. I bolted into my apartment and locked the door."
"When I went in everyone I saw was like that." Lightning said, looking out the window. "Like in a forced hibernation state."
"That's why the streets are so empty." Fang pointed out. "Thos things are all asleep. That's why it's so quiet."
"Yeah, but how long will that last." Hope asked, looking at the clock in the van. "It's almost 7:30 now, and if they've been asleep for at least an hour, then we have a time frame to look at if we see them moving around again I guess."
"Good thinking." Lightning said. "And it's dusk right now, the sun will be setting soon, so it'll be harder to see anything. So everyone needs to stay on their toes."
"Look!" Vanille cheered jumping up to point out the window. "The oceanfront bridge, we're almost there."
"Good." Hope muttered, pressing a little more on the gas pedal. "Looks like we'll be there in about ten minutes."
Everyone got quiet as they raced down the empty streets towards the bridge. AS they got closer they noticed cars parked haphazardly all over the place. Hope has to slow down to start weaving inbetween them. "Look, there's one." Lightning said, pointing towards a person, covered in blood, standing still by a vehicle, completely unmoving. "Looks like they're still asleep."
Hope looked at the creature before having to slam on the breaks. "Looks like the end of the road." He muttered, looking at a pile of cars in front of them, barely enough rooms between all of them for two people to slip through at a time.
"Vanille, I put you in charge of the child. You keep her safe in that stroller, and keep her quiet. Everyone else, arm yourselves, grab whatever we need. It's a short walk to the bridge, so be prepared." Lightning said, turning to look at everyone. She tossed the bow and arrows she got from Hope's house at her sister. "Hope you're a fast learner Serah. Those things aren't easy."
"I'll try." Serah replied, fiddling with an arrow.
"Hope, You'll take point with me. Bring the dog, she may alert us to anything ahead."
"Ok." He said, grabbing Kiona's leash.
"Fang, can you cover our tail?" Lightning asked, looking at the woman in blue.
"Can Hope drive a car?" Was her reply as she held her staff. "Let's do this, while those things are still out of the game."
Everyone nodded and piled out of the van. Hope and Lightning in front, Vanille and Kailee behind them, Serah right after, and Fang bringing up the rear. "Move slow and steady. Try not to make any undue noise." Lightning said, walking slowly, scanning the area. "Don't touch any of the cars if you can help it, just in case one of those things are inside."
They moved quietly and quickly, weaving in and out of cars, keeping an eye on every creature they saw, glad they were still 'asleep'. Hope quietly kept count of how many they saw as they got closer to the bridge. '67, 68, 72' He kept counting, looking for the ones that were bunched together. 'They're everywhere.' He thought, looking around. '98, 99,' He shook his head. 'We're almost there, just have to keep moving.'
"STOP!" They heard a shout from in front of them. "Stop, or I will fire." Everyone stopped their walking, only to stare ahead at a shadowy figure ahead of them. "Are you human?"
"Pretty sure." Lightning quipped, hand on her hip. "At least last I checked." She said.
Hope look up at the sky and noted the sun was setting behind a far mountain. "The sun is going down Lightning, what do we do?"
"Let me handle this."
"How many are in your party." The stranger asked.
"Six." Lightning replied. "Five adults and one child."
"How old is the child?"
"Four." Hope replied.
The stranger got quiet, holding his ear. He slowly stepped out of the shadows. First thing he noticed was bright blue hair. "Move towards me slowly. No funny business. I need to check if you're infected before I can let you pass."
"Can we trust this guy?" Hope heard Fang ask.
"Do we have a choice?" Was lightnings response, taking a couple of steps. "Just keep your guard up.
To be continued:
